Apparatus for the counting of sheets of paper, especially bank notes



Oct. 22, 1957 K. HOLMEN 2,810,575

APPARATUS FOR THE COUNTING 0E SHEETS OF PAPER, ESPECIALLY BANK NOTESFiled May 31, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 22, 1957 K. HOLMEN 2,810,575

APPARATUS FOR THE COUNTING 0 SHEETS OF PAPER, ESPECIALLY BANK NOTESFiled May 31, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 llfaifa/w 5 1% United StatesAPPARATUS FOR THE COUNTING OF SHEETS OF PAPER, ESPECIALLY'BANK NOTESKristian Holmen, Oslo, Norway Application May 31, 1955, Serial No.512,106

Claims priority, application Norway May 29, 1954 4 Claims, (c1. 271-27only of new bank notes, but also of used ones. This must be taken intoconsideration in choice of design for the apparatus, because used notesare often more or less damaged, for instance they frequently lack one ormore of their corners.

Several forms of apparatus for the conveying of sheets of paper from apile to a printing machine or the like are known. Such an apparatus cantheoretically also be used as a counter, by providing it with ordinarycounting machinery, if such is not already fitted. But owing to the factthat such an apparatus has a different purpose, it will not be suitablefor the purpose, for example, of counting bank notes. Apparatus for thefeeding of printing machines with paper take up large space and work atrelatively slow speed. In the solution of the problem which forms thebasis of the present invention, it must be noted that the aim is not tobring about any substantial change in the position of the bank notes,but to attain the maximum speed of counting. This does not prevent, inthe construction of a counting apparatus, the employment of units andprinciples which in and by themselves are familiar from apparatus forthe conveyance of sheets of paper.

Thus in the apparatus according to the present invention use is made ofa rotary gripper which carries a number of symmetrically arrangedsuction organs, which besides rotating on the axis of the gripper rotateindividually in the opposite direction on their own axis parallel to theaxis of the gripper, and which are caused to rest one at a time againsta sheet (bank note) near one of the edges of this, and by suction forceto draw this along with it. Such a construction has previously beenproposed and in this known arrangement the sheet is drawn up from apile, the edge of the sheet being carried round by the suction organuntil it strikes against a conveying roller. The sheet is given arelatively complicated movement, the whole sheet being drawn from theoutside into the gripper, i. e. onto that side of the suction organswhich faces the axis of the gripper, and is then conducted out again bya movement in the plane of the sheet. Unlike this known arrangement, theapparatus according to the present invention works in such a manner thatthe bank note is released after such a brief angular movement of thesuction organ that the sheet is practically only swung round the edgewhich is turned away from the suction organ, without being moved in itsplane. To prevent the note frorn'swinging back to its initial position,the distance between the suction organs is suitably made so small thatwhen a note is released from a suction organ the following suction organwill prevent it from Swinging back.

2,810,575 Patented Oct. 22, 1957 The invention is described in greaterdetail in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 shows in diagrammatic form a gripper for an apparatus, viewedfrom the end, with a suction organ resting against the first note in abundle of notes to be counted, I i

Figure Z shows the gripper after rotating through about 36,

Figure 3 shows the gripper after a further rotation of approximately108,

Figure 4 is a vertical section through one of the suction organs and theapparatus on which it is mounted.

Referring to the drawings, A1-A5 denote five individually rotatablecylindrical suction organs arranged on a rotating gripper, which inFigures 1 to 3 is only indicated by the hollow axle B. It will besufficient to state that the gripper rotates anticlockwise, as indicatedby the arrowb, while the suction organs revolve in theopposite'direction, as indicated by the arrows a.

As will be seen from Figure 4, the gripper includes a central spindle 1to which is secured by a nut 2 a gear member 3 provided with internalteeth 4. The gear member '3 is bored to receive a suction tube 5 securedin the spindle 1, which tube 5 communicates with a source of suction(not shown) and is in permanent communication with an axial bore 6 inthe spindle 1, which bore extends to' a point near the top of thespindle to communicate with a transverse bore 7, which itselfcommunicates with each rotary suction organ when the latter is inoperative position for counting a bank note. Rotatably mounted about thespindle 1 on a bush 8 is a pulley 9.

The husband pulley are bored as at 10 and 11 respectively, to establishcommunication between the bore 7 in'the spindle 1 and each rotarysuction organ when in operative position for counting a bank note. Thepulley 9 is also provided with five bores, each of which receives I arotary suction spindle 12 (only one of which is shown in Figure 4) whichspindle rotates in a bush 13 fast with the pulley 9, each bush 13 andspindle 12 being bored at 14, 15 respectively, to establish connectionbetween the source of vacuum and a central bore 16 in the suctionspindle. This central bore communicates with the suction head 17 whichis secured thereto by a grub screw 18, the'suction head 17 itself beingbored at 19 to communicate with the central bore 16 and also with thesuction orifice 20, the surface of the suction head, adjacent thesuction orifice 20, being flattened to present a plain surface tofacilitate adhesion of a bank note thereto.

Each suction spindle 12 includes a cylinder 21 and a light piston 22slidably mounted therein, which piston is under bias of a spring 23, tourge it towards the left, as

shown in Figure 4. g The piston rod 24 has a reduced end projectionpassing through the outer end wall of the cylinder.

The said reduced end portion of the piston rod 24 is adapted, when thepiston 22 is moved to the right, as will hereinafter be described, toforce an electric contact member 25' into contact with a further contact26 to complete an electric circuit, to operate an electro-magneticcounting device, which is not shown, and which is of known construction,and forms no part of the present invention.

Coupled to the suction organ spindle 12 by means of a grub screw 27 is apinion 28, which meshes with the teeth 4 on the gear member 3. v p

The apparatus functions in the following manner: The suction tube 5 isfirst connected to the source of suction, forexample'a pump, and thepulley 9 is connected by a driving belt (not shown) to the pulley of anelectric motor (also not shown) which can be set in motion when desired.When operated, the motor drives through the belt the pulley 9, whichrotates with its bush 8 around e p n le Ro a n of e p l y causes simulaner ously rotation of the suction organs around the spindle 1, andhence, by means of intermeshing between the p nion 2.8 a d the eeth 4,,auses t e u on pindl s. 1. to rotate in an'opposite direction to that ofthe pulley 9.. Dur n t ti n of h pulley 9 bor 10., 11 and 14. are i u hin urn into communication with the bore 7 of h I ta pindle, 1, and. thuswith the source of suction connected to the pipe 5. When communicationbetween fi't bQIQS, .9,, an 1. an he bore 7 is established, the suctionorifice 20 of the rotary suction spindle 12 is in on act w th a bank nte. to be counted, Whilstthe position of the rotary suction spindle 12is such that. its. bor -c 5 s. n c mmunication with the, bore. 14, sothatsuction is thus app ie t the s id. suction ori c t l thus beapparent that the duration of. suction onthe suction orifice at is theperiod Of time, during which the. bore 15: isin communication with. thebores 14,11 and 10. when these, bores in turn, are in communication withthe, bore 7 n. t e. cent al sp ndl 1- a a suction is established. at thesuction. orifice 20, air is first, sucked therethrough momentarilybefore a ban not adheres to the surface of the suction head. As thesuction spindle 12. revolves, with the bank note .at-. tached to itssuction head, during the period when the suction is maintained (seeFigure 1) the bank note will be moved; hereinafter described. Once thebank note cen e tq adhere. to. the suc ion orifice 20, the suction forcetends to create a vacuum within the suction systern, the effect of whichis to cause the light piston 22 to move against the action of its spring23, so. that the re=. ducedend of the piston rod-24 closes the electriccircuit, including the contacts, 25, 6, and thereby operate the countingdevice. Asthe. suction spindle 12 continues to rotate, communicationbetween the bores 15 and 16 and the lgores 1,4, 1 1; and 10 110 longerexists; furthermore the bores 14,11 and 111- are no longer incommunication with the bore as the pulley 9 continues to rotate. Theeffect is thus that the piston 2 2, is returned to its normal POSl? tionby the spring 2 3 andthe bank note is released from h su tion entice 2Q-Refetti s ew ain to gur s 1 to 3 i w l be an:

preciated from the above description that the suction organs A1 Asarrive in turn at the position occupied by suction organ Ar (Figure l)with the suction opening C (that to s ay suction orifice Z0.) turnedtowards a bundle of notes; D at the same time as the suction opening isanc i to c nne tion ith h va uum sour Th note Q1 of the bundle whichnote is. nearest to. the suc-.

and w l th re y be. sucked. fi m y thereto, d be carried. 4 9 .5 W ll).hi 9 thfipbsition shown. in-Fig hnrtlv ft wards t suct n peni g 6 n h ui organ A; is brought into connection with atmosphere (as described withreference to Figure 4). and thefnote is rel d before it has yet moved inany significant degreei s own plane. It is not released, however, beforethe next suction organ A2 has approached the bundle of notes Dso,closely that the note D1, in the event of its swinging back; in thedirection of the bundle, will strike against the suction organ A2 and bepushed by this to. the right lfigure 3. shows how. the counted notes aregrade l yassemb ed in a ew bu e lt will be clear from the abovedescription and with reference to Figures 1 to 3 that the notes are notsub-. jected to any significant movement in their own plane, but areonly leafed over in the same way as the leaves of a book I t has beenfound that by this means it is 7 possible to perform the counting atsubstantially greater speed than with other known construction.

Whats cl imed 1 l or-the counting of sheets of paper or the like anranged in a bundle or pile, an apparatus comprising a rotary gripper,means providing a fixed axis, means for rotating said gripper in onedirection about said fixed axis, a plurality of suction devices arrangedsymmetrically around said fixed axis, means providing individual axesfor said suction devices, said individual axes being equidistantlyspaced around said fixed axis, means forconnecting said suction devicesto said rotary gripper for rotation on said individual axes, meansoperative by rotation of said gripper for constantly rotating saidsuction devices about their axes in a direction opposite to thedirection of rotation of said gripper, each suction device having asuction opening, the rotation of said gripper moving said suctiondevices successively into proximity with the sheets in one direction andthe reverse rotation of said suction devices moving said suctionopenings relatively to a sheet of the pile adjacent said gripper in theopposite direction, means for connecting the suction opening of eachsuccessive suction device to a source of vacuum as each suctiondevicehas its suction opening in proximity to the adjacent sheet andforcutting off such suction as each suction device rotates to apredetermined extent on its own axis from such position to release thesheet picked up by such suction opening, said suction devices being soci'rcurnferentially spacedthat upon the releasing of each sheet from oneofsuch suction devices, the next following suction device will beinterposed betweenthe released' portion ofthe sheet and the pile toprevent the sheet from swinging back to the pile.

2. An apparatus accordingto claim 1 wherein said means for connectingeach suction device to a source of vacuum comprisesavacu-um duct formedin said rotary gripper, an axial passage formed in each gripping deviceand communicating the one endwith the associated suction opening, andmeans operative incident to rotation ofiieach suc tion device-onits-axis for connecting said ductand the passage of such suction deviceto each other solely when the suction opening of such suction device isadjacent the pile of sheets.

-3. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said rotarygripper isprovided with ace-axial gear, said means forconnecting each suctiondeviceto said rotary gripper comprising a spindle rot-ativelysupportedby said rotary gripper, and a pinion carried by each spindle andmeshingwith said gear.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said rotary gripper isprovided with a co-axial gear, said means forconhecting each suctiondevice to said rotary gripper comprising a spindle rotatively supportedby said rotary gripper, and a pinion-carried byeach spindle and-meshingwith said gear, said. means forconnecting each suction opening to'asource of vacuumcomprising an axial duct formed in said rotary gripper,an axial passage formed in each spindle, each spindie havingaradialopeningcommunicating with the passage therein, said rotarygrippenhaving a plurality of-radial passages each coaxial with one ofsaid radial openings'to communicate therewith as the latter passes theassociatedradial passage.

References Citedin thefile of this-patent-

